In May 2022, a corroded barrel was exposed on the drying shores of Lake Mead near Las Vegas, revealing the remains of a man with a single gunshot wound to the head. After years of investigation, Nevada police have identified the victim as Edward “Buddy” Lelburian Jackson, a man believed to have died in the 1980s.
Jackson’s body was found amid a severe drought that has drastically lowered Lake Mead’s water levels, exposing long-hidden objects beneath the surface. The lake, the largest reservoir in the US, supplies water to approximately 20 million people from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Its retreat has already unearthed several human remains, with police warning more discoveries could follow.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Jackson’s identity last week after matching DNA from the remains to his family. Robert Price, a homicide detective with the department, said Jackson was likely in his mid to late 50s when he died. Originally from Arkansas, Jackson had traveled widely across the western United States, including California and Utah.
“There is no evidence that the death was tied to any known criminal group,” Price said at a news conference on Thursday, addressing rampant public speculation that Jackson’s death might be mob-related. “At this point in our investigation, we don’t have information to support those theories.”
Jackson’s death remains a mystery. He was found with a gunshot wound to the head, but the bullet itself was never recovered. Apart from the clothes he was wearing, no other items were found in the barrel.
Prior police records show Jackson had been arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah, but had no known ties to Las Vegas and was never reported missing. His extended family in Arkansas told investigators he was known to move frequently and unpredictably. “He would travel the country. He would show up when he showed up,” Price said.
Authorities have not released new photos of Jackson, though they previously displayed a photo and a 3D rendering of his skull to aid identification efforts. Police continue to search for Jackson’s killer and any motive behind the shooting. Price acknowledged it could be difficult to find his living associates given Jackson’s transient lifestyle.
Lake Mead has been shrinking since 2000, with drought conditions worsening in recent years. Scientists link the decline to climate change, which has increased the frequency of persistent hot weather and lowered water levels in rivers and lakes across multiple countries.
The retreat of Lake Mead has already revealed other bodies. Three additional people have been recovered and positively identified. Two appear to have died from drowning, while the circumstances of a third death remain unclear.
Similar drought-driven discoveries have occurred abroad. Earlier this year in Budapest, Hungary, two World War Two German soldiers’ bodies were recovered from the Danube River along with a Wehrmacht motorcycle. Other wartime remnants have surfaced in the Danube, including a broken hull near Prahovo, Serbia.
Jackson’s case is the latest in a string of unusual finds emerging from water sources depleted by drought. His story remains a fragment of a larger picture shaped by climate shifts and the slow unveiling of long-buried secrets.
According to Joy Online.
